2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S front 3/4 view

2014 Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S Bring High Tech and High Velocity [w/ Video]

2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S front 3/4 view

When Porsche introduced the first production 911 Turbo (codenamed 930) in 1974, it instantly expanded the definition of the term supercar. And in typical Porsche fashion, the company has made it significantly better with each successive generation, making it more powerful, better handling, and altogether more civilized. In fact, if you take a drive in the most recent 997-series Turbo, you’d never believe it evolved from the 930 which, thanks to the unfortunate combination of huge turbo lag and a comparatively Paleozoic rear suspension design, was oversteer incarnate.

So if the previous evolutions of one Turbo to the next are any indication, the new 991-based 911 Turbo should be the best one yet by a wide margin. Is that the case? Judging by the newly released specs (and photos and a video), it certainly seems to be.

2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S rear 3/4 view

The new Turbo (and Turbo S, which historically has been introduced in the latter half of a particular 911 Turbo generation’s lifecycle) shares its body shell with the Carrera 2, Carrera 4 and recently-unveiled GT3, but it has a look all its own. The front fascia features an adjustable lower lip and three large air intakes, while its counterpart at the rear features pronounced vents at the lower corners and cutouts for big quad exhaust tips. The rocker panels now hang lower to line up with the bumpers, the wheels are special 20” alloys (five-lugs on the Turbo, center-locks on the Turbo S), and a special automatic rear spoiler that’s clearly descended from the 930’s iconic (but fixed) “Whale Tail” adorns the engine cover. But the biggest change is found in the car’s hips; the rear fenders each feature a large scoop for the turbo inlets and intercoolers, and the fenders themselves are a whopping 1.1” wider than the ones on the already bootylicious Carrera 4 and 4S. In other words, you will not be mistaking these beauties for a mere Carrera.

Upgrades the interior are a little harder to spot, but they are there. The Turbo S will be offered with an exclusive black-and-red upholstery color combination, as well as 18-way(!) power front seats. A Bose audio system will be standard like it was on the 997 Turbo, but a double-throwdown setup from Burmester will be optional. Other new options will include a radar-based cruise control system and a camera-based road sign – including speed limit signs – recognition system.

2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S interior view

We know what you’re thinking: Ugh, they’ve turned it into a boulevard cruiser! Well, not exactly. The 2014 911 Turbo is powered by an all new 3.8L direct-injection twin-turbo flat-six producing 520hp, while the Turbo S houses the same engine but is rated at 560hp. Both are fitted with Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch 7-speed transmission and a sophisticated new all-wheel-drive system whose party piece is a water-cooled multi-plate clutch that offers improved durability and the ability to allocate more of the engine’s torque to the front wheels. Other trick chassis hardware includes four-wheel steering (Electro-mechanical servos move the rear wheels up to 2.8° in either direction, turning them in the opposite direction of the fronts below 31 mph for improved maneuverability and in the same direction above 50 mph for more stability.) and mammoth carbon-ceramic brakes that are standard on the Turbo S and optional on the Turbo.

2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S rear view

Unsurprisingly, all this cutting edge engineering conspires to create astounding performance. Porsche says the 911 Turbo will leap to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and max out at 196 mph. That’s bath-salts-and-Jägerbombs fast, right? Well, yes. But is it as fast as 2.9 seconds 0-60 mph and a 198 mph top speed? No, it is not, but those do happen to be the figures for the 911 Turbo S. Oh, and Porsche says the new Turbo S will lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife in less than seven-and-a-half minutes on – it makes perfectly clear, its hatchet with the Nissan GT-R presumably still very much above ground – street tires.

But what price freedom from most of the contents of your high school physics textbook? Glad you asked! The 2014 911 Turbo will start at $148,300, and the Turbo S base price is $181,100 (though both will hit you over the head with a $950 destination charge). That’s a whole lot of baksheesh, but how many other cars this side of a quarter-mil will fling you to 60 mph in under three ticks of the stopwatch (app)? We can only think of one: The aforementioned Nissan GT-R. Who says the automotive world’s Godzilla doesn’t have his Mothra?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5qgUO7Mq50[/youtube]

Source: Porsche